After a serious glut of correspondence, I am so happy to have gotten a few wonderful messages from a few wonderful people out there!! The answers to the questions are below. Please remember, as with this blog, all opinions are my own; I am not a doctor; I only share the experiences and knowledge that I’ve gleaned from working the AB diet myself.

Hi Amanda, i'm new to BTD and a fellow AB wondering if you've learned about whether you can drink oolong tea... i'e checked Dr D'adamo's website and can find nothing... would appreciate your input. thnx, c

C—I was unable to find oolong tea by itself in typebase or any of the ER4YT books that I have. However, black tea is an avoid for AB, so you should do what feels right for you. Some individuals can partake in avoids and feel fine (coffee is an example of an avoid that I drink daily). As you become more compliant to the diet, you will find which avoids really mess with your system (you’ll feel bloated, have heartburn/reflux, tired, lethargic, etc.). I have found that I cannot, simply cannot, eat oranges, chicken, or corn. Those are my biggies…but I do drink coffee, I eat chick peas occasionally, and enjoy avoid fruits now and then…so C, you have to decide how oolong tea makes you feel, and if it’s worth it to drink.

I have just begun this journey and am quite excited. I, too, have AB, and was wondering how serious it is to adhere to the avoid spices. If it's serious, where do I find products having no dextrose, corn syrup or corn products, fructose, etc. Also, when I looked up fructose the encyclopedia stated that it is found in berries, beets, sweet potatoes, etc. which is what are beneficial. I'm not understanding this. Could you help at all with these questions? Thank you! Christi

Christi—I can sense you excitement as your journey begins!! I would recommend you to the comments above for how your body can deal with avoid spices. As for finding products with no dextrose, corn syrup or corn products, and other sugars…GOOD LUCK!!! I have been working hard to eliminate sugar from my diet for various reasons, and the grocery store has become a worthy foe! There’s sugar in everything!! The rule of thumb that I follow is this: if sugar (including dextrose, fructose…any of the “ose” ingredients!) is listed as the 5th ingredient or later, then I use the product. If it’s not, I try to find something alternate to use…it’s not been easy, but with the gluten free products that are flooding the market, it’s gotten easier. For any other in depth answers I would refer you to Live Right for Your Type and the other bloggers/writers for the site. Even if they are not AB blood type, they will have good information/advice for you to assimilate.

Hi there, Loved your blog-esp as I'm also ab and can relate to so much! Hubby is an O so the diet gets messy-how do you cope with two different diets or are you too lucky and he's ab as well? Anyway, have a great week-we're on the east coast next week and hoping for some fresh catches! Elizabeth

Elizabeth—Yay! I love our wayward AB spirit!! I am lucky enough to have a husband who also happens to be type AB…I couldn’t have planned it better!! Tee hee, but it doesn’t have to be too difficult. There are many foods that are common between AB and O (and other blood types!), so they should make up the majority of the meal as much of the time as you can. For example, you share lamb, cod, red snapper (and other fishes), walnuts, pinto beans, Ezekial bread, broccoli, collard greens, spinach, sweet potatoes, figs, plums, pineapple juice...and many other foods as bennies. If I were you I’d print out your AB list and his O list and highlight all the bennie and neutral foods that you share…there’s a lot!!! Good luck!

hi i am a women from scotland and i think you sound nice and you make me laugh i dont know much about this boggin i thought i would come over and say hello i have just started eating 4 type and i am a o .you sound like you have a full and packed life how do you have the energy for it all lol i hope also to have fun and meet lots of new and interesting people lots of love and laughter from scotland to you Suzanne

Suzanne—what can I say besides, “Ah…gee…thanks!” I hope that your journey with the type O diet finds you happier, healthier, more energized, and living life to the fullest.

To all: with love in healthy foods right for our blood type…be well…

I have to say that I have the yummiest breakfast junkfood recipe ever!! The best part is that it’s almost completely compliant!!

Here goes: 1 piece Ezekiel bread; 1 (or two) egg, fried; ½-1 ounce mozzarella cheese; ½-1 TBS Italian dressing; 1-2 TBS mayo (this is the junk food part!). You can toast the bread (or not), then put the mozzarella cheese on it to melt a tiny bit and dressing/mayo on top of that. Fry up your egg and leave it as gooey as you like. The egg tops all, and voila! A super junk food breakfast that’s not too bad for you!!

Tee hee…all goes well here in New Hampshire. I’m looking forward to summer vacation possibly more than my students this year. I am burnt out and ready for a break. We’ve got only two and half weeks left so the end is in sight.

I hope that this finds you all well, safe, and compliant. Smiles and happy, healthy eating…

I am so happy to report that I have been 100% compliant to bennies and neutrals for over a week now, and I feel darn good! I have also been diligent about taking my daily vitamin, Vitamin C, and Folic Acid…and I am supercharged for spring. If only the northeast weather would cooperate!!

Hubby and I have been packing lunches through mid-week on Sunday nights, and it helps so much. We are generally flat out during the week (me with three nights a week teaching classes at the Y after having already taught all day), so we’ve looked for easy ways to keep nutritious food around. One strategy is cooking a small turkey breast over the weekend for protein during the week. A second strategy is measuring out steel-cut cooked oatmeal with yogurt for breakfast; all we have to do in the morning is chop an apple or melon into the mix. A third, very helpful strategy, has been to chop up veggies for a stir-fry ahead of time so that the night of, whoever’s home can just toss them in the wok, add some tofu, and voila! Meal’s ready in fifteen minutes! We also spin our lettuce and leave it in the fridge separate from the chopped cukes, tomatoes, onions and celery. When we make a lunch or dinner salad, everything is there ready to go. I’ve also taken to having an afternoon snack of apple and an ounce of walnuts every day. This has bridged the calorie gap with the added two nights of classes a week.

And speaking of exercise…I have been cherishing my morning walks (a mile or more a day) despite the persnickety weather. The songbirds are back and in full voice, and everything else is still, poised for the coming day. It’s a perfect time for me to walk because I can engage in thoughtful reflection/contemplation about the day past and coming. Also, swimming before teaching Tai Chi has been great, and my body is so happy. I’ve experienced elevated mood and energy levels, and am just so motivated to get living! The only thing that I’d like to add is one or two days a week of weights. I don’t want to do anything to heavy and crazy, but there’s not a lot of resistance benefiting bone strength with everything that I do in the water, so I’d like to add just a bit for the ole bones…

Here’s hoping that this blog finds you well, sane, safe, and content. Take care and go gently…

I am so happy to report that my water tai chi class at the Y is a success!! I’ve been teaching arthritis and aerobic classes in the pool for a couple of years now, and my director agreed to let me offer the tai chi. We had a great turnout for the first class, and I expect that it will continue. I’m so proud of my members that came to check it out, and thrilled that there were some new faces in the group. It is so satisfying to teach exercise classes in my favorite element, with the double benefit of helping others and helping myself attached!!

I’ve been very compliant to the BTD, and am feeling great as a result. There’s been lots of salads with tuna on top for lunch (I still struggle with eating enough flesh as it is, and though I love seafood…now that I’m back onto faces… I don’t seem to prepare it often enough. I think that this is because I have to search around for good, fresh catches—which a wonder living so close to the ocean…anyhow, I like it, but don’t buy it enough. I’ll resolve to the greater cyberworld to buy more when I’m there and freeze it, so it’s around for future meals.).

Finally, my little jewelry shop at Etsy seems to be doing okay. I’ve sold two items, and am seeing a bit of traffic moving through. It’s great to see my favorite hobby getting a bit of a payoff, and a thrill to see folks (other than my family) wearing my art!!! If you are curious, stop over to www.amandablanc.etsy.com and take a peek!!!

Tee hee…greetings from your friendly neighborhood wayward blogger…

In a previous blog I made mention to a spiritual practice that has found it’s way back into my life. I think it’s worth rehashing in another blog because it really is an important part of my day. Completing daily affirmations and engaging in thoughtful prayer (to anyone—a higher power if you will) have helped me to create a more balanced life. I have been following the blood type diet for long enough to have most of the food prep/choices, etc. become second nature. It is becoming easier to follow the physical activity aspects (though I still have a tendency to overdo it…I’m not always so gentle on my wee AB bones!!), and I am definitely in a learning curve with respect to the emotional/spiritual pieces of balance.

What I am learning is that if I take the time to be quiet, and I take time to consciously visualize how I’d like my day to turn out, more often than not, it happens. I have been practicing serenity, and seeing positive events in my day which all help me to choose my attitude. I find that when I have already “seen” good interactions with “trouble” people, the actual encounter turns out well due to my response. I know that this makes sense, and shouldn’t be a huge revelation to me, but in some ways it really is because when I’m not in balance, I fight my way through every day. I expect that moments will be tough and I power through them. But—when I take the time and invest the energy to affirm that this day will be a kind, gentle day; it becomes a kind and gentle day, and I am full of energy at the end of it. Life can be so rich and full if only I take the time to see it so.



Be well…be kind…and breathe…